Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Punchbowl

　　How were the Hawaiian islands formed? This big question was featured in a TV program of "National Geographic" early this year in Japan. According to the program, several undersea volcanos erupted many times at the position of Hawaii island and formed lands one after another. Those lands moved to the west and shaped into today's Hawaiian islands. This theory indicates that the western islands of Ni'ihau and Kauai islands are the oldest islands in the Hawaii islands and Hawaii island is the youngest. Actually, volcanic activities are still going on now on Hawaii island and lava is flowing into the sea and becoming new land.
　　When I was viewing the Hawaiian terrain map before the trip, I found two calderas on Oahu island other than Diamond Head. There is the globally biggest class of caldera in Japan, which is 25km in diameter in a south-north direction and 18km in an east-west direction. The calderas which I found on the map were not so big, and smaller than Diamond Head, but I wanted to visit them. One of them was the place which we visited next, the Punchbowl.

ハワイ諸島がどのようにして誕生したのか？ナショジオで解説があった。ハワイ島の位置で海底火山が噴火。できた陸地が少しずつ西へ移動することでいくつかの島が出来た、とあった。従って、ニイハウ島やカウアイ島が一番古く、ハワイ島が一番新しい島だという。なるほどハワイ島では今でも噴火が続いているし、溶岩が海に流れて土地を形成している。

渡航前、ハワイの地形図を眺めていてダイヤモンドヘッド以外のカルデラ地形を２つ見つけた。日本には南北２５ｋｍ、東西１８ｋｍの広大なカルデラ地形があるが、それには及ばないものの間違いなくカルデラ地形。２つとも実物を見てみたいと思った。その一つが次に訪れたパンチボウル。上手い名前を付けたものだ。昨日ハーフマラソンで走ったルートにパンチボウル通りという名前があったことを思いだした。通りの名前までキョロキョロ見ていた自分に改めて感心した。(^_^;)

Tantalus

　　We chartered a taxi, and went sightseeing around Oahu island today. What would happen! We were taken to Tantalus Hill firstly, from which we were able to view the whole city of Honolulu. It was higher than Diamond Head. I understood that it used to be a volcano from its distinctive terrain. The night view of Honolulu city from there would be marvelous, but that observatory is closed after sunset due to security issues. Actually, the parking lot was scattered with bits of glass. Our driver told us that vehicle burglary must have happened recently. We were in one of the most globally well-known resorts, but these bits reminded me to become more careful in an overseas resort. We, Japanese, tend to easily become a victim, lacking in carefulness abroad, as Japan is an unbelievably secure country.

今日はタクシーをチャーターしてオアフ島を一周する。何があるか、起こるか楽しみだ。ドライバーと相談してまずはタンタロスの丘と呼ばれる場所に来た。晴れてくれて本当にラッキー。昨日走ったあたりがきれいに見える。ダイヤモンドヘッドを見下ろすことが出来るとは思わなかった。ここから眺めるとホノルルの夜景が実に美しいのだが、夜は治安上の問題で閉鎖されていると聞いた。駐車場にはガラスの破片が散らばっており、車上荒らしが最近あったのだろうとドライバーが説明してくれた。日本の治安が良いだけに海外では十分に注意しないといけないのだと改めて思った。

Walking

　　It seemed to rain last night, but this morning it was getting bright. While my wife prepared breakfast, I went out for a short walk along the beach. Then, I found a monster-like garbage collector truck. It was huge and its movement was really rough. In Japan all the garbage is put at its collection point on the designated day like the day of the burnable, the day of the steel cans or glass bottles, paper, and so on. Each bag of garbage is thrown into the truck by human power, being checked not to mix with other kinds of garbage.
　　On the other hand, the method of collection which I saw was considerably crude. The operator didn't even get out of the truck. He plunged the hook into the garbage container, raised it, and turned it over without confirming the contents. I thought, that's it, the U.S.

昨夜は雨が降ったようだが、今日は晴れそうだ。カミさんが朝食の準備をする間、２０分ほど海岸を散歩した。凄いものを見つけた。ゴミ回収車だ。もちろん日本でも定期的にゴミを回収するのだが、分別し、人の手によって車に積み込まれている。その過程で間違ったゴミが出ていないか確認も出来るのだが、ここでは怪獣のようなトラックが一気に積み込んでいる。中にどんな物があろうとお構いなし。さすがアメリカと言うべきか。(^_^;)

Portable Toilet at Waikiki beach

　　Joining the Honolulu Half-Marathon was one of my purposes and it was successfully finished without any injury. After the run, various kinds of food and drinks are offered to the runners in Japan, but what I received in Honolulu was only a bottle of cold water and an extremely oily sticky pancake, which almost choked me. I wanted to wash my hands with soap, but couldn't. There were no maps about the finish area. My greasy hands might damage my camera, so I didn't take pictures around the finish area.
　　Leaving my hands oily and sticky, I moved to the portable toilets area on Waikiki beach. I washed my hands in the sea and opened the door of one of the toilets. It was just like a dust box with paper bags of fast foods like McDonald. It would be used by not only the runners but other tourists and I was surprised and discouraged to know their bad manners. Finally I made a bee line to my condo. However, I had a lot of fun. Variety is the spice of the marathon for beginners like me. I'd like to join the Honolulu Marathon in the not so distant future. The picture shows the badge of honor given to finishers.

(Vocabulary)
badge of honor 勲章

　
今回のハワイ旅行の目的の一つ目が終わった。怪我もなくのんびりと観光を楽しみながら走ることが出来たのだが。日本だとゴール後には温かい豚汁や食べるものなどが振る舞われるのだが、ここでは異常に甘くてべたべたしたケーキに、ただの冷たい水。暑いハワイだと言っても温かい飲み物があっていいし、もう少し腹持ちの良いものが出せないものか。手を洗える場所の表示やイベント会場の案内図もない。お陰でカメラを取り出せず写真がない。
　
べたべたの手のままでワイキキビーチに設置された移動式トイレまで移動したが恐ろしく汚い！トイレはゴミ箱とは違う！女性用は知らないが、男性用トイレはマックの袋などが捨ててありまるでゴミ箱、使用不可能。ランナーだけではなく、一般の人も使ったのだろうが、このトイレマナーはどうだ。呆れてしまった。結局トイレを我慢してジョグ１０分で自宅のトイレに駆け込んだ。因みに手はワイキキビーチの海水で洗いました。とまあ、いろいろあったが総じて楽しいランだった。次はフルマラソンに挑戦します！

Honolulu Half-Marathon 9 (I did it!)

　　After running down from Diamond Head and passing by the Honolulu Aquarium, I was able to see clearly the crowd gathering around the finish line. The second picture was shot near the aquarium against a backdrop of Diamond Head. The next picture was taken at a few hundred meters to the finish. I didn't think, however, that I finally had done it, and what's more, I wanted to run a little longer to enjoy sightseeing. The 4th and 5th picture show the last minute to the finish line. I saw the woman and her baby shown in the last picture on the way maybe in downtown. She must have finished the half-marathon with her baby in her arms. Miraculous!
　　By the way, let me explain about the shaka sign, the finger sign extending the thumb and the little finger from the fist. I saw a motorcycle policeman send me that, and some other policepersons and people along the route also sent that to runners. I looked it up on my Pc. It is often called "Shaka Brother", whose back of hand is shown to others, or "Hang Loose", whose palm of the hand is shown to. "Hang Loose" stands for gratitude, affection, greeting, respect, and so on. On the other hand, "Shaka Brother" means "Are you all right?", "Hang in there!", "Never say die!", and so on. Looking back at the scene in which a policeman sent me a shaka sign, he directed his back of hand to me. It must be cheering me. I should have shown my shaka in the last picture. Next time I join the marathon in Honolulu, I'm sure to show the shaka everywhere on the route.

『やったぜ』

ダイヤモンドヘッド南端から坂を下るとすぐに水族館があり、ゴールが見えてきた。２枚目の写真はホノルル水族館の前あたりで撮られたもの。ダイヤモンドヘッドをバックに撮られている。３枚目はゴール前数百メートルの場所、やっと終わったと言うよりもっとまだもう少しあちこち見て歩きたい気持ちの方が強かった。４，５枚目の写真はゴール目前で撮ったもの。最後の写真で移っている女性は途中でも見た。この子を抱いてハーフマラソン。脱帽です。腕は大丈夫だろうか、、、、

ここでシャカサインについて書く。親指と小指を立てるあのフィンガーサインのこと。白バイ隊員がしていたし、途中の警備担当の警察官からも何度も送られてきたこのハンドサインを調べてみた。『Shaka Brother　シャカ ブラー』や『Hang Loose　ハング ルース』とも呼ばれるらしく、ハワイでは本当に頻繁にこのシャカのジェスチャーを目にした。

シャカには「アロハ」という言葉と同じように、こんにちは・さようなら・ありがとう等の挨拶、感謝、愛情、尊敬などの多くの意味があるそうだ。そして、厳密に言えば相手に手のひらを向けるのがハング ルースで「ありがとう！」や「こんにちは！」、「なんとかなるさ！」といったアロハスピリッツを象徴する意味合いが強いとされています。逆に手の甲をみせるのがシャカ ブラーでこちらには「元気？」「頑張ろう！」という意味があるそうだ。そういえば白バイ隊員は僕に手の甲を見せていた。この最後の写真でピースサインではなく、シャカサインをすべきだったと後日思った。近い将来走るつもりのフルマラソンではシャカサインを沿道で送りながら走ろう。

Honolulu Half-Marathon 8 (Diamond Head)

　　The first picture shows the 9 mile point. The distance from the start was displayed in the unit of kilometer and mile. This indication in miles stirred a delightful emotion that I was actually running an overseas marathon. The black tent in the next picture was a first-aid station, and the staff members looked bored. Then, a wonderful idea crossed my mind and I wondered if I should ask them for some help, like a taping, a massage, or a cold spray, but I didn't. However, I regretted a little not chatting with them about the conditions concerning medicine in Hawaii. The next picture shows the delivery from the aid. At a glance I assumed that it was "Gyousen-Ame" candy. I was hooked by the Hawaiian "Gyousen-Ame", but it was Vaseline. I didn't know how to use it, but it was lucky I found out it was vaseline before I put it into my mouth.
　　Let me explain "Gyousen-Ame". It is a kind of glutinous starch syrup, and can date back to 1000 years ago. The material is malt only. Water was added to the malt and the mixture is simmered without the addition of sugar. It has a nostalgic and plain sweetness.
　　The route was uphill to KCC (Kapi'olani Community College) and most runners were walking there. The vacant parking lot had been used for KCC Farmers' Market yesterday. Then the route was downhill for a short distance and it continued to the most agonizing section, which ran around Diamond Head in a clockwise direction. Almost all the runners were walking in the 6th picture. When I took this picture, I was on the opposite side of the road and was admiring the view of the horizon, which I was never able to see in my home town. The last picture shows the old fort of the U.S. Army. I had been there last year with my daughter. If the weather would become clear during my stay in Hawaii, I'd like to climb up again.

(Vocabulary)
glutinous starch syrup 水飴
malt 麦芽、モルト

最初の写真は左折し、登り始めたところ。ほとんど歩いている。距離表示がマイルで表示されていて、改めて海外で走っているのだなあと実感した。救護所のスタッフは主に女性。閑そうだしちょっと寄ってお世話になってみようかとも思ったが、やめた。後で考えると少しここで休憩しておしゃべりも良かったなと後悔。次は救護所で配られていたもの。ハワイで『ぎょうせん飴』！と思って飛びついたのだが、、、食べ物では無いと言う。ワセリンとのこと。どのように使うのだろう？ま、とにかく口に入れずに良かった。(^_^;)　

ぎょうせん飴というのは、水あめの一種で約1千年の歴史がある。麦芽を原料に水を加えて煮詰め、砂糖を一切使わない。素朴な甘みがある。

ＫＣＣファーマーズマーケットまで登り、一旦下るもダイヤモンドヘッドを時計方向に再び登る。６枚目は最もきついと言われる坂道。ほぼ全員が歩いている。この写真を撮ったのは道の反対側からで、ここで僕は展望台からハワイ南方の海を見て感動中。マラソンと言うより観光ラン。最後の写真は陸軍の砲台跡を下から眺めて撮ったもの。

Honolulu Half-Marathon 7 (Back to Waikiki beach)

　　I got back to Waikiki beach at past seven. The second picture shows my condominium, and my wife must have been waving at me, but I wasn't able to recognize her due to the slight darkness. The runners were almost walking around Waikiki beach, and I caught up and overtook them one after another to make up for lost time in the downtown area, where I took pictures in every tourist spot. The marathon route would turn left just a little ahead at the corner of Honolulu Zoo in the direction of Diamond Head.

７時過ぎ、ワイキキビーチまで帰ってきた。一枚目の写真には滞在しているコンドミニアムが写っていて、カミさんがバルコニーから応援してくれているはずだが、暗くてよく見えず。ワイキキビーチでは歩いている人がほとんどでダウンタウンでのんびり観光していた分、どんどん追い抜いて遅れを取り戻した。この先、ホノルル動物園の角で左に曲がりダイヤモンドヘッドの登りとなる。

Honolulu Half-Marathon 6 (Sightseeing)

　　It was getting light and hot. I was running along the coastline in the first picture. Soon after, I passed the turn and got into the downtown area, where various tourist spots appeared one after another. The second picture shows the Coronation Pavilion and Iolani Palace. The next shows the central post office. In the next picture, I was granted an audience with King Kamehameha. (grin) A professional photographer took my picture with him on my right shoulder.
　　This photographer was sent from a Japanese company, which takes pictures of entrants in various events. Their pictures would be on sale on its website. The company's photographers were standing by on at least five or six points on the route. I'm going to have their pictures seen later. However, lots of runners didn't know about this system, and the runners around me were laughing to see me get carried away in front of the professional photographer. Turning to the right in front of Kawaiahao Church in the 6th picture, I found portable toilets along the route. Several dozen runners were lined up and I didn't use it. I'm going to write about portable toilets later.

(Vocabulary)
the Coronation Pavilion 戴冠式台
Iolani Palace イオラニ・パレス
King Kamehameha Statue　カメハメハ大王像
Kawaiahao Church　カワイアハオ教会
audience (要人との) 公式会見, 謁見
[＋audience with] an audience with the Pope ローマ法王への謁見
grant sb an audience ＜人＞に謁見を許す
Kamehameha I カメハメハ1世（大王）

徐々に明るくなってきた。そして暑くなってきた。１枚目は海岸を走っているが、この直後に折り返してダウンタウンを貫く道路に入った。次は戴冠式台、イオラニ・パレス、次の古風な建物は郵便局、そしてカメハメハ大王に謁見。なんと大王を右肩に乗せて記念撮影。オールスポーツのカメラマンに向かって大きくポーズを撮る僕を見て周辺の人が笑っています。６枚目の写真にあるカワイアハオ教会の前を右折。このあたり、歩きながら写真を撮る人多し。マラソンと言うよりも観光旅行に近い。右折をするとすぐにトイレを見つけた。トイレについては書きたいことがある。後ほど。

Honolulu Half-Marathon 5 (Baby Buggy)

　　"What are they doing?" I wondered, when I saw several specific runners. They were pushing baby buggies. I assumed at first sight that they must have carried their food and water or something like that in it, but actually they were carrying babies. Why? Did they want their babies to experience the marathon? Or, did they want to run with their babies? Or, they might have failed to find baby sitters. I didn't know the exact reasons. Anyway, I enjoyed my debut in the overseas marathon.

　
いったい何なんだ、こいつら。と思ったのが、ベビーカーを押しながら走っている人たち。携帯食や水を積んでいるのか、やるなあと思ってちらっと覗くと本物の赤ん坊、幼児が乗っていた。(^_^;)　子供にマラソン体験か？とも思ったが、子供を放置できず仕方なく連れて走っているのかも、、、詳細不明だが、そこまでしなくても、と思うのだが。まっ、人は人。前を向いて大きなお尻を眺めながら走ろう。

Honolulu Half-Marathon 4 (Overflow)

　　As I passed by Ala Moana Center, the road became congested with lots of runners. As you see in the first picture, some were running on the sidewalk, outside of the marathon route. It must have been a violation, but no one minded. I'll tell you one thing, I was on the sidewalk to take a picture, not for the run. Anyway, with that aside, in Japan, the runners are regulated by plastic tape or guards not to step out of the route except on several occasions like washing hands, medical care, and so on. I felt again that the organization of the marathon was irresponsible.
　　After a while, several police motorcycles came in the opposite lane, and immediately I rushed onto the median and held my camera. At that time, a motorcycle policeman sent me that distinctive finger sign. I realized that this sign must have some specific meaning. I'll write about this later.
　　I wanted to see the top runner, who should have passed the turn and come just after the leading police motorcycles, but no one came. The motorcycle policemen passed by at a speed of about 40 km/h without taking care behind. What have they done on earth?

(Vocabulary)
median (médian strip とも) [名] [C](米) 中央分離帯
turn (マラソンの)折り返し点

１枚目の写真はアラモアナセンターにさしかかったところ。道路が混んでいて歩道を走っているランナーが多いことがわかる。断っておくが、僕は写真を撮るために歩道の上にいるのであってここを走っているのではない。ま、それはおいといて、普通なら歩道を走らないよう規制があるはず。ちゃらんぽらんというか、適当というか、まあ気楽なマラソンだと言うことがよくわかった。
　
しばらく走ると反対車線を白バイが走ってきた。中央分離帯によってカメラを構えると、先ほどの警察官たち、例のピースサインに似たハンドサインを送ってきた。これについては後で書く。
　
この後、普通は先頭ランナーが走ってくるはず、、、しかし、来ない。この白バイ隊員たち、いったい何をしてきたのか？　彼らは後ろを気にすることなく時速４０キロくらいで走り抜けていった。まあいいか。

Honolulu Half-Marathon 3 (Starting Position)

　　I reached the designated point, but there was no signboard where to be ready. I didn't even see the staff members. The organizers would be considerably irresponsible. Anyway, as I was wandering around, an announcer told us that it was 30 minutes to go. I was pushed toward the road. It was about 50 meters from the starting line. This area should be for fast runners, not for slow runners like me. I tried to retreat backward, but couldn't due to packed runners. Finally I got started from this point.
　　Just after the report of the gun, the runners started off. The runners around me ran away or overtook me at an unbelievable speed. I was afraid that I might be hit from behind, so I got away for the walkway. The top group was really fast. I stayed there for about 10 minutes and went back into the stream of the runners. Pictures show the condition around me just before the start signal.

(Vocabulary)
report (フォーマル) 爆発音, 銃声, 砲声

さて、スタート地点についたは良いがどこに並ぶべきか、何の指示もない。役員がどこにいるのかさえわからない。実にいい加減な運営だと思った。ブラブラしているとあと３０分というアナウンスがあり、道路沿いから道路の中へ押し込まれた。スタートラインから５０メートルくらいの位置だ。これは僕が並ぶところではない。後ろへ下がろうとするも自由がきかず、結局この位置からスタート。

スタート直後、周りの選手は僕の全力疾走に近いスピードで追い抜いていく。後ろから衝突されそうで怖くなり、路肩に避けた。驚いた。トップグループはさすがに凄い。１０分ほど待って人の流れに合流した。写真はスタート直前の様子。

Honolulu Half-Marathon 2 (Policemen)

　　While approaching the starting point, which was arranged on Waikiki beach, several police motorcycles caught my eye. In such a case in Japan, motorcycle policemen tend to be tense, but what had happened to them, who looked relaxed. As I spoke to one of them, saying "Good morning, officer!", he sent me a finger sign, in which you extend the thumb and the little finger from your fist. I often saw this finger sign in Hawaii. I'll write about this sign later.

ワイキキビーチに近づくと白バイが数台止まっているのが見えてきた。しかし緊張感は全くない。日本のマラソンだと先導する白バイ隊員はかなり緊張していると思うが、この警察官たちには微塵も感じられない。話しかけてみると親指と小指を突き出す独特のハンドサインを示した。このハンドサインについては後に書く。

Honolulu Half-Marathon 1 (Zombie)

　　At 4 o'clock before the alarm set off, I got up and ate heated rice cakes, which I brought from Japan for the Honolulu Half-Marathon. Rice cakes are filling and last longer than any other food for me. I put on my running outfit and took the following picture in front of the door. The start time was 6 o'clock and I was requested to get ready at the starting point by 5:30. I left my condo at about 5 o'clock. It was still dark and felt a little chill. It was funny for runners with thin clothes to walk, as they looked like zombies in cult movies.

４時起床　日本から持って来た餅（腹持ちが良い）を食べて身支度を整えドアの前で撮ったのが１枚目の写真。６時スタートで、５時３０分頃までには集合という指示があったので５時頃に家を出た。まだ薄暗い。ハワイとはいえ少し寒い。薄着の人たちが、ぞろぞろと歩く姿がゾンビ映画のシーンみたいで可笑しかった。

Test Drive Continued

　　I asked for a Japanese to guide us during the test drive for the sake of mutual understanding when a situation calls for instant reaction. He used to work in a travel company and gave us a good commentary about Hawaiian lives, his student days in the U.S. mainland, houses of Japanese celebrities, and so on. He seemed to frequently get vegetables in KCC Farmers' Market. A very noted actor in Japan test-drove the same car with his family last month, and I heard a funny story about his daughter, though it's secret.
　　By the way, I got tired and wanted to hit the hay as early as possible, so we didn't dine out. Our supper was retort-pouched curry and rice taken from Japan.

(Vocabulary)
commentary
a spoken description of an event, given while the event is happening, especially on the television or radio:

 

横に乗ってもらうスタッフには日本人をお願いした。彼は元旅行社勤務だったとかで、試乗ではあるが車の話以外に、ハワイの暮らしや彼の学生時代の話、日本人セレブの家のことなど、観光案内をしてもらっているようだった。ＫＣＣファーマーズマーケットには野菜を仕入れによく行くそうだ。同じ車を先月、日本人なら誰でも知っている超大物俳優の家族が試乗して、たいそう気に入っていたらしい。面白い話をいろいろ聞いたが書かない方が良いかも知れないので書かずにおく。さて夕食は、疲れたのでどこにも出かけず日本から持ち込んだご飯にレトルトのカレー。安上がりで大満足。

Test Drive

　　When I was allowed to test-drive a TESLA, I was requested to show my driver's license to them, which was naturally issued and valid in Japan. To my surprise, a Japanese driver's license was valid in Hawaii too. That might be only for a limited time, but I was able to drive the car without any legal procedure. Next, about the car insurance. They had taken the bodily injury and property damage liability insurance out, but not for motor vehicle insurance. If I damaged the car, I would have to pay compensation. However, they told me that I could use my drive-other-cars-endorsement, if I took the insurance out.
　　I got scared. The price of the test drive car was over 100,000 dollars. I had left all my cars' insurance in my old friend's hands. I hastily sent him an email to ask if I had a drive-other-cars-endorsement. My friend was also intimidated by my question. If I had damaged such a valuable car in Hawaii and asked him to handle the accident, ,,, Mr. N, who would read this article, so sorry to have made you confused.
　　He replied to me that I had already such an endorsement and he would confirm if the endorsement was valid in other countries or not, but before his report came to me, I began to test-drive a TESLA car. I was tense, but both backing the car into the parking spot and parallel parking were totally automatic! I didn't need to be worried about scratching the car. The car which I test-drove was Model X. I got an intense impression from the car. That was the autopilot! It would be in the far future, but I'd like to get one.

(Vocabulary)
take sth out ＜保険など＞に入る, ＜ローンなど＞を組む
The couple took out a $200,000 loan. 夫婦は20万ドルのローンを組んだ．
bodily injury liability insurance 対人賠償責任保険《主に米国で用いられる》
property damage liability insurance 対物賠償責任保険
motor vehicle insurance 車両保険
drive other cars endorsement 他車運転危険担保特約

 試乗させてもらうことになったとき、いくつか条件があった。日本の運転免許を持っていること。国際免許で無くてもＯＫというには驚いた。短期間だけかも知れないが、日本の免許でハワイでは車の運転をしても良いとのこと。次に保険のこと。『試乗車は対人・対物保険に無制限で加入しておりますが車両保険には加入しておりませんので、万が一車両損害が発生した場合は全てお客様負担となります。あらかじめご了承ください。保険加入されている場合は、ご自身の他車運転特約が使用可能です。』とのこと。

ビビったよ。車両価格１０００万円を超える車だから。他車運転特約というのに入っているかと所有する車の保険を一任している友人にメールで尋ねたら、やはり友人も質問の内容にビビっていた。もし僕がこんな高価な車をハワイで擦って、保険での処理を頼んだとしたら、、、この記事を読んでいるだろう、Ｎ君、ハワイからの突然の連絡、許せ！

特約は付けているけど海外で乗る車に適応できるのかどうか調べてみると言ってくれたが、結果が来る前に試乗の時刻となったので用心して乗りましたよ。(^o^)　しか～～し、バックでの駐車も縦列駐車もすべてオートマチック！　擦ったりする心配は無用だった。試乗した車はＳＵＶのＭＯＤＥＬＸで、感想は素晴らしいの一言。加速は凄いし、これこそが自動運転！随分先になるだろうが、本気で購入を考えることにした。

Hilton Village

　　I got back home by LeaLea Trolley. It was sunny in the morning, but it was getting cloudy toward noon. I heard from local people that the weather had been unstable these couple of weeks in Honolulu. Despite the fact that Oahu island is a little island, it seemed that all the island seldom has the same weather at the same time. The weather forecast is focusing on Daniel K. Inouye International Airport area, and so it's natural that it rains in the Waikiki area under the weather forecast of clear sky.
　　I took a walk in the Hilton Village though it was cloudy. The building in the first picture is my condominium. All the pictures were shot in the scope of 10 minutes from my condo. I saw some people jogging around the lagoon. I had a feeling that they would join tomorrow's Honolulu Half-Marathon.
　　I became a little sleepy and went back home. I took a short nap as I had an appointment of showing up at the TESLA dealer's office to test-drive its up-to-date SUV, Model X.

(Vocabulary)
I have a feeling that ~ ～のような気がする

ＫＣＣファーマーズマーケットからＨＩＳが運営するレアレアトロリーで戻ってきた。朝は晴れていたのに曇ってきた。このところホノルルの天候は安定していないらしい。またオアフ島は小さな島なのに、全島が一斉に雨になったり晴れたりもしないという。天気予報は空港のあたりが基準になっており、空港が晴れていてもワイキキビーチあたりが雨なんてことは普通だという。

天気は良くないがヴィレッジの中を散策した。１枚目の写真に写っている建物の中に僕のコンドミニアムがある。写真に写っているのはすべて我が家から徒歩１０分圏内。ラグーンの周りをジョギングしている人たちがいた。明日のマラソンに出る人たちなのだろうか？

少し眠くなったので帰宅。１６時にテスラのショールームへ行く約束があった。試乗中に眠くなっては困るので昼寝をしておくこととした。

KCC Farmers' Market

　　I arrived at KCC Farmers' Market about 8 o'clock. Lots of people already swarmed across the area. At first, I drop in at a stall to drink a cup of Kona coffee. It would be possible to drink it also in Japan, but it was particularly great to taste it in Hawaii. KCC stands for Kapiolani Community College. The market was held in the parking lot of this college. A cute schoolgirl who was selling hamburgers told me so. A few thousand Japanese students seemed to belong to the college, but I thought they wouldn't sufficiently master English skills.
　　Anyway, a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits were displayed. I wanted to try some, but I'm afraid if I had a stomach trouble, I wouldn't be able to join the marathon tomorrow. I refrained from raw foods and ate heated foods. As I ate oily foods and my hands became greasy, I didn't hold my camera and there are no pictures for food. Sorry! From next year, it's desirable to fly into Honolulu on Friday, watch fireworks in the Hilton Village, and get fresh vegetables and fruits there on Saturday.
　　After washing my hands, I wandered around the garden plants' corner with my camera in hand. Various unknown - at least for me - plants were arranged and I'll show you some of them below. This market was located on the route of the Honolulu Half-Marathon. This point is at the top of the slope from Waikiki beach. You can see Diamond Head on your right hand here. About the same time tomorrow, I would be totally worn out and come up here,,,, I imagined my exhausted face.

８時頃、着いた。すでにもう人があふれている。まずはコナコーヒーで一服。人混みの中へ分け入った。ＫＣＣというのはカピオラニ・コミュニティ・カレッジのことで、この短大の駐車場で開かれているからＫＣＣファーマーズマーケットと呼ばれるらしい。ハンバーガーを売っていた地元の可愛い女の子から教えてもらった。この大学には日本人がかなり多く在籍しているらしいが、そんな環境では英語は上手くはならないだろうなあ。
　
ま、それは置いといて、新鮮な野菜に加えてフルーツの類いがいろいろあってどれも美味しそう。明日、マラソンがなければいろいろと手を付けていただろうが、万一腹を壊したりしたら明日のマラソンを走られないので今日は熱を通したものだけを買って食べた。脂ぎったものをいろいろと食べて手が脂でヌルヌルになったので、カメラを持てず、朝食の写真はなし。来年からは、金曜日にホノルル入りしてヒルトンの花火をラグーン（打ち上げ場所に近い）で見て、翌朝のこのマーケットで１週間分の新鮮な野菜や果物を仕入れるのがいいなと思う。
　
手を洗った後、一眼レフカメラを取り出して園芸コーナーを巡った。ここで撮った写真もＵＰする。名も知らぬ花ばかりだったがどれも印象的だった。このＫＣＣファーマーズマーケット前の道路は明日海岸から上ってくるマラソンコースに当たっている。右側はダイヤモンドヘッドだ。ここまで登ってくれば後はしばらくは下り。明日はヨレヨレになってここを通るのだろうなあ。

Local Bus Debut

　　I got up at about 4 o'clock due to the influence of jet lag. As tomorrow's marathon would start at 6 o'clock, awakening at this time was advantageous to me. However, it was too early to go out, and I examined its route to know where there were tourist spots on the route. I didn't want to fail to see and shoot them.
　　I was going to visit KCC Farmers' Market to have breakfast, which seemed to be the liveliest one among the same kinds of markets on Oahu island. The market is supposed to be held every Saturday morning. The market was a long way on foot and I learned how to use the local bus from my travel guidebook. The passengers get on the bus through the front door and get tickets from the driver. I got a one-day ticket and this enabled me to freely move by bus as far as I liked. That was really helpful for tourists.

時差ぼけのため早朝覚醒。明日のマラソンスタート時刻が朝６時なので身体を慣らすには都合が良いが、出かけるには早いので朝食前にマラソンコースの予習。と言っても走るための予習ではなく、コース上のどこにどのような観光スポットがあるかという下調べ。
　
今日はオアフ島で一番賑やかだというＫＣＣファーマーズマーケットへ向かう。土曜日の午前中だけ開催されている。日本で言うところの産直市。そしてここで朝食を摂る予定。そしてその前にオアフ島の路線バスデビュー。まだ乗ったことが無いので利用方法をガイドブックなどで調べたものの、ちょっと緊張気味に乗車。前乗りで一日フリー乗車券を購入。これで一日何回でも、どこまで乗ってもＯＫ。旅行者には優しいシステムだ。

Fireworks

　　After witnessing a traffic accident on Kalakaua Avenue, I was wondering if the autopilot cars like TESLA cars could avoid such accidents. At that time, I found the TESLA dealer's shop at the corner of the International Marketplace on the avenue. I myself was astonished to find that.
　　The twist of the story really surprised me. The TESLA car which was displayed in the room was priced at more than 100,000 dollars, and I was not able to afford one. Naturally I didn't mean to buy one, but they would offer me a chance to test-drive one the next day. I comfortably spent some time in the showroom, but I might overstay my welcome there.
　　Anyway, I was late for the fireworks which were held every Friday night in the Hilton Village. I wasn't able to reach the best point and shot the fireworks on the way under the palm trees. Those fireworks were very gorgeous. I'll show you the pictures below. Today's supper was pop-in Hawaiian burger and Kona coffee.

思わぬ展開に驚きながらテスラのショールームに長居をしてしまった。置かれていたテスラ車は買えるような価格でもなく、買うつもりも無かったのだが、話の流れで試乗させてもらえることになった。ワイキキビーチへの途中で交通事故を目撃し、自動運転だとこんな事故は起こらないのだろうか？などと考えていたときに目の前にテスラのショールームが現れたのだからこの偶然には驚くしかない。お陰で週に５分間だけ打ち上げられる花火を見損ねた。花火はまた来年だな。少し遅れたけれどヤシの森の中から花火を撮影。なかなかみごとなものだった。夜はチンしたハワイアンハンバーガーとコナコーヒーで簡単に。

What I Thought after Witnessing A Traffic Accident

　　I dropped in at the ABC store to get some food for my wife on the way back to my condo. I put them on the kitchen table and immediately went out toward Waikiki beach. I wanted to see the starting point of the Honolulu Half Marathon in advance and also know how long it would take to walk to the point. While walking on Kalakaua Avenue toward Waikiki beach, I encountered a traffic accident. A Mercedes sedan seemed to hit a bicycle. Fortunately, the bicycle man looked like he didn't seriously get hurt. I supposed that the Mercedes' radar wouldn't be so good to detect human bodies.
　　In the driving assistance technique, there seems to be two types of method for detecting humans ahead. One is the millimeter-wave radar and the other is the stereo camera system. My Mercedes has the millimeter-wave radar system, but it seems not so good for detecting humans. After several test drives, I decided "once" to choose a SUBARU SUV with its driving assistance system of "EYESIGHT", but....
　　When I found a TESLA showroom on the way to my condo, I recalled its excellent autopilot system, and I just wanted to chat on the topics of automobiles in English, so I entered the room. Just seeing the TESLA cars was enough for me, but they offered me a chance to test-drive! I'll write about my impression on the TESLA car later.
　　By the way, it was about 15 minutes from my condo to Waikiki beach. It was a really beautiful scene. I understood why lots of people got together there. I took my single-lens camera out of my bag. Pictures were taken without the tripod, but I think they are considerably good.

(Vocabulary)
millimeter-wave radar　ミリ波レーダー

時差ぼけのため寝ているカミさんのための夕食の材料を買い込んで一旦帰宅。そして、ひとりでワイキキビーチ方面へ散歩。マラソンのスタート地点の下見とそこまでうちから歩いてどのくらい掛かるのか確認しておきたかった。そしたらなんと、途中で交通事故を目撃。ベンツのセダンが自転車とぶつかったようだった。大きな事故では無かったが、ベンツのレーダーは人を発見するのは苦手なんだよな～と思いつつ、、、、歩き続けた。
　
前方を監視する方法としてミリ波レーダーとカメラを利用する二つのタイプがあるようなのだが、僕の車にも付いているミリ波レーダーはどうも人を見つけるには能力が落ちるような気がする。いろいろ試乗した結果、我が家の次の車はスバルの運転補助システムであるアイサイトを搭載したＳＵＶにするつもりだった。一度試乗して気に入った、、、のだが。
　
なんと帰り道でテスラのショールームを発見。英語を試してみたくて、また近くで見るだけでもいいと思って入ったところ、、、翌日に試乗させてもらえることに、、、先ほどの事故を見て思っていたことが、現実に、、、(^_^;)　試乗の結果は後ほど。
　
で、結局、コンドミニアムからワイキキビーチまでは１５分ほどだった。そしてビーチは実に美しい風景だった。人がここに集まる理由がわかるような気がした。